Practice Areas

DUI, Alcohol & Drug offenses is one of Michael’s most successful areas of practice, and one of his most far-reaching. As Phoenix Assistant City Prosecutor, Michael completed 48 DUI jury trials in 22 months. In private practice, Michael has handled hundreds of DUI cases over 15 years. He now focuses his practice on defending licensed professionals, particularly those who face disciplinary sanctions before state-licensing agencies. For these professionals, a misdemeanor DUI can prove to be potentially career-ending, and almost always career-damaging.

Michael is highly-skilled in navigating the intricacies of professional licensing tribunals and the criminal courts, providing counsel and insight to accomplished professionals who cannot afford a criminal record.

Moreover, Michael boasts one of the best track records in the business. Highly skilled in constitutional issues, Michael tends to litigate aggressively on 4th and 5th Amendment and discovery issues pretrial, with provable, measurable results. Click HERE to see Recent Results. Unlike other attorneys, Michael does not list misleading results; rather every litigated dismissal he lists is based on a dispositive motion crafted and filed by him. Learn More about Michael’s DUI Defense.

As his primary area, Michael handles a range of criminal matters in federal, state, and local courts. He has tried over 70 cases to juries, and has appeared before almost every court in Southern and Central Arizona as privately-retained counsel for individuals and corporations.

Considered a highly skilled and aggressive advocate, Michael is routinely referred matters by the largest law firms in Arizona to care for their valued clients.

As part of his administrative and licensing practice, Michael represents numerous MDs, RNs, NPs and other healthcare professionals in a wide spectrum of criminal and administrative matters ranging from DEA investigations to credentialing and internal matters. His skill in addressing the unique needs of and tremendous pressures facing health care professionals today has made him trusted counsel to many local health care providers. Learn More About Michael’s Criminal Defense Practice.

Michael’s white-collar practice focuses largely on matters concerning international trade, real estate development and financing, and tax. He has worked with both the FDA Office of Criminal Investigation, and the FDA Center for Applied Nutrition and Food (CFSAN) in Washington D.C., as well as the FDA Office of General Counsel. Michael has also worked extensively with United States Customs on both commercial importation and exportation matters, and has handled matters involving a host of international agencies.

Michael also frequently advises and defends clients in real-estate development and financing investigations, largely within Arizona. While advocating for his clients’ interests, he has worked with both the US HUD Office of Inspector General; the US Department of Justice; the FBI; the Arizona Attorney General and other agencies in matters related to bank, mortgage and consumer fraud. Michael also has represented both individuals and corporations within the mortgage and investment industry to respond to a range of investigations.

Michael’s tax practice is comprehensive, extending from large preindictment IRS criminal investigations involving off-shore banking to post-assessment and post-judgment IRS liens and levys. He has handled both employment and income tax matters for individuals and corporations before the IRS and Arizona Department of Revenue.